Marla to Ghan, 4th May, 2024

We left at 7.45am as you can see on the Road Train above not much shine in the rising sun.

 These are the huge rigs that we see on the road but not as many as we have seen in the past. Marla was a great little place to stay. Roads have been really quiet not many vehicles on the road at all. We are just travelling from A to B today nothing around us except the outback. We are near the centre of Australia here in Ghan. Which is,  from Ghan by road would be about 214kms taking about 2hrs 20m  heading out to the east. But only half that would be on dirt roads as you would go south on the highway before turning off east. It was named after the late Dr Bruce Lambert, one of Australia’s top cartographers, hence the name the Lambert centre.

This is the Lambert centre flag pole which is modelled on the flagpole of Parliament House Canberra. It was erected in 1988 to mark the centre of Australia . ( I just popped over to outback east of us to take this photo. Didn’t take long. 🤔 (just kidding.)

My usual showing of our road trip today how it can change. We have black road surface here

Then we go over to a red road surface. Just love these creamy tussock grasses. Makes a nice contrast edging to the road some are the size above.

And some are tiny like these ones.

Stopped for a coffee in a rest bay so took a few shots up close. Although these grasses aren’t quite  the same as the little ones along the side of the road. A lot bigger.

Nice colours

We are crossing a dried up river. Not a river as such just turns into one during the seasonal floods. No sign of water where we are going to. All the water we get in the camps comes from under the ground mainly bore water.

We stopped here to read all the do’s and don’ts of NT

The welcome sign.

As soon as we crossed the border the roads immediately  deteriorated. Narrower, bumpy, patchy. Not like the great SA roads as you would have seen in my on the road photos. Also the maximum speed limit is 130kph. Wow but PT just ambles along at 93kph on cruise and we get there!

Above and below: We have now crossed the SA/NT border scenery starting to change a little, went over and down slight rolling country.

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We have now arrived at Erldunda Desert Oaks Resort in GHAN were we are staying tonight. Sounds flash but just another roadhouse with Motels and camping areas behind. It’s all very nice pick your own site. Plenty of space and trees. They had  a platform  built to step up on to watch the sunset which I will post after we go  there later. Also they have a Camel or maybe two,  and Emus. And a nice swimming pool complex.

Their Camel

Pretending not to see me.

Cheeky Emu, he nearly pecked the phone out of my hand when I got close to take the photo.

Camp pool

Went out to the platform to watch the sun go down.

Gone.

These places are so nice to stay in behind the roadhouses which you have to use in between caravan parks, due to the high Kms travelling between places. We enjoy them so quiet in the middle of nowhere. 😎

Off to Uluru, Ayres Rock, tomorrow.